Principal Van Phillips will take a team to the 2013 Mega Conference in Mobile to present "the innovations and processes they have put into place to achieve the tremendous achievements made at the school," the letter stated. The school is one of 12 chosen to do so.

State Superintendent Tommy Bice recently released a list of 143 Title I schools in need of improvement. Center Point High was not on the list.

"That's a bit of a discrepancy," Henderson said tonight. "We're on the failing schools list but not that list."

The letter also cited accomplishments of the school athletics and extra-curricular programs.

"We know there are many hurdles to overcome in the future; however, we certainly do not consider Center Point High School a 'failing school,'" the letter concluded.

The 'failing schools' on the list, released June 18, were designated as failing under criteria established by the Alabama Accountability Act, a controversial school choice law approved by lawmakers in the recent legislative session.

The Alabama Accountability Act defines a 'failing school' as one listed as low-performing in the state's most recent school improvement grant application or has been in the bottom 6 percent of state standardized tests in reading and math for three or more times during the last six years.